which rooster to keep?

[Ziggy1973]

I've looked through past posts and haven't found exactly the advice I'm looking for. This is a kind of lengthy post so please bear with me. I purchased 15 day old chicks eleven months ago, 14 female, one male. As they grew it became obvious that I had two cockerels. Mr. Tibbs is a Brahma and is the alpha. He's very protective, very assertive toward me and a bit rough with the girls. Bert is a Buckeye and is good with the girls and is friendly to me. About a month ago, Tibbs started becoming aggressive toward me. He would bite my calves. Then about two weeks ago he flat out attacked me, kicking me and flogging me with his wings. My calves were very bruised! He has since tried to attack me on a couple of occasions but I kept him away with my foot. I had also never seen any fighting between the cockerels but two days ago Tibbs went after Bert. It's also very obvious that the girls are being over mated, lots of feather loss on their backs and heads/necks. There are four or five that appear to be the favorites. I know that I need to get rid of one of the boys but am having a hard time deciding. I guess it should seem apparent that Tibbs needs to go but what I'm wondering is this: will Bert become an aggressive jerk if he were to become the alpha or will he still remain more easy going? Or do I keep the more dominant boy? How disruptive will it be to the flock as a whole to change the leader? Also, I love my birds and didn't get them to eat, just a hobby flock for eggs and my enjoyment so don't suggest I put him in freezer jail, lol! I would prefer to rehome whichever one I decide to get rid of but isn't it hard to rehome an aggressive cockerel? I'm a very tenderhearted person and am struggling with this. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[BlueBaby]

Why don't you pen Tibbs up separate from the others, and see how Bert will be with Tibb's gone? Then you can decide what you want to do with Tibb's.

 

[Acre4Me]

Agree with above. Probably the Buckeye will remain nice - he is currently and many Buckeye owners note how friendly the breed is (in general). But you never know! Those male hormones can really make a difference along with being the only male.

 

[Ziggy1973]

Why don't you pen Tibbs up separate from the others, and see how Bert will be with Tibb's gone? Then you can decide what you want to do with Tibb's.

I could do that. Would it matter that they could still see and hear each other, as the two coops and runs are side by side?

 

[Acre4Me]

I could do that. Would it matter that they could still see and hear each other, as the two coops and runs are side by side?

Yes, but you could possibly block their line of sight with scrap wood. So, then they are only hearing each other.

 

[Ziggy1973]

Yes, but you could possibly block their line of sight with scrap wood. So, then they are only hearing each other.

Should I put any of the girls in with Tibbs?

 

[adstowe]

Honestly, he needs to go. You could post an ad and fully disclose that he's aggressive (to do otherwise would be irresponsible. He could attack a child). Most likely you don't want to know what the new owner does with him. As far as the other one, he could be fine or he could step up and be another problem. There's no way to know until you try. I've had the calm roo become a royal pain once the dominant one was removed for aggression problems. It happens, but there are good roos out there. You can't predict how he will act until you give him a shot. Really, unless you're planning on hatching their eggs you don't need either one and if you're opposed to dispatching an aggressive rooster an all hen flock may be your best bet, but that's for you to decide. My vote would be to ditch the alpha and give the buckeye his chance to prove himself. It may work out just fine.

 

[Ridgerunner]

will Bert become an aggressive jerk if he were to become the alpha or will he still remain more easy going?

There is only one way to find out.

Or do I keep the more dominant boy?

The way he has been attacking you, no. He needs to be gone.

How disruptive will it be to the flock as a whole to change the leader?

Probably not that much. A lot depends on how good of a leader Bert will be.

I would prefer to rehome whichever one I decide to get rid of but isn't it hard to rehome an aggressive cockerel?

If you put on a lot of conditions like "needs a good home" or "only to someone who will not eat him and you want visitation rights" it can be challenging. If you don't put conditions it may not be that hard.

 

[adstowe]

If you put on a lot of conditions like "needs a good home" or "only to someone who will not eat him and you want visitation rights" it can be challenging. If you don't put conditions it may not be that hard.

Agreed. List him with an accurate description of his aggression and then ask no questions. You can just assume he's living it up on a huge ranch somewhere. It may not be probable, but you won't know that he's not.

 

[MountainWoman73]

I prefer to kill my own roosters because I know I do a good, humane job, and use the meat. I also feel it's my responsibility because they're my birds. (The Ned Stark philosophy: he who passes the sentence must swing the sword.)

There's no way anyone should keep a bird like that. Keeping him isolated is cruel to him, and keeping him with the others is cruel to them, and you. He won't get along better with another flock. He just needs to be dealt with properly, and it's okay if you need to ask for help with that. It's okay if you struggle with the decision, too. It's a bummer when a nice rooster decides to turn on you.